I’ve dealt with deep social anxiety as long as I can remember. It felt like it limited everything I did, everything I could do, in every area of my life.

What I didn’t realize is that as humans, we all have built-in social skills. It's a fundamental part of what makes us human, and a huge part of our survival instinct. Without fangs, claws, thick hide, fast legs... we'd be at the bottom of the food pyramid if it weren't for those built-in social skills.

For different people, those skills might be "practiced" to different levels of smoothness, but all humans have the ability to connect, and believe it or not, pretty much all humans want to connect back with you.

Apparently, we’re born with the ability to connect, and be liked. it's why we smile as babies… "I am helpless, protect me." Smiles are still just as powerful, as adults.

The only thing that interferes with that ability to connect is our limiting beliefs.

My social life was pretty “meh” for most of my life, always stressful and high-anxiety, never really satisfying… until I began to seek out and challenge my beliefs directly, one at a time.

• Think you can’t say hello to someone you pass on the street? Challenge it.
• Think you can’t ask someone about the book they are reading at the cafe? Challenge it.
• Think you can’t invite a stranger into a conversation on the bus? Challenge it.
• Think that cute girl / guy would never go out with you? Challenge it.

Limiting beliefs are like a “self-fulfilling prophecy." If you believe there's a wall, you won't even try to go through it. Don’t accept those limits.

Life's way more fun when you carry a sledgehammer.